Many of the world’s leading metabolic experts will gather in New Orleans for the 2026 American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions, where obesity treatments are expected to be a central focus. The event features presentations from major pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotechs, all seeking to advance their positions in the growing obesity medicine market.
IQVIA forecasts $92 billion in sales of obesity medicines this year, with expectations that sales could reach up to $200 billion by 2027 and beyond. Obesity has recently surpassed oncology as the top contributor to pharma pipeline value, accounting for 25% of overall value.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk will headline ADA 2026 with data on next-generation drugs. Lilly is set to present results from Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 and TRANSCEND-T2D-1 studies of its triple-G agonist retatrutide, which has shown weight loss results comparable to bariatric surgery but has also raised safety concerns due to reports of dysesthesia—a neurological condition causing unpleasant sensations—in more than a fifth of patients on higher doses. Novo Nordisk will showcase CagriSema, a fixed-dose combination therapy; however, recent head-to-head studies indicate it did not demonstrate non-inferiority compared with Lilly’s Zepbound. Despite this, Novo Nordisk CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar said, “When CagriSema will make it to the market early next year as the first amylin-based product, it will have the best weight loss label than any product marketed at that time.”
Other major pharmaceutical companies are also vying for third place behind industry leaders. Boehringer Ingelheim is advancing survodutide with Zealand Pharma and plans detailed presentations on its impact on body composition and liver fat at ADA 2026. Roche is presenting new data from CT-388 following its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics and aims for a top-three position in obesity treatments; Roche has also partnered with Zealand Pharma for further development efforts.
Smaller biotechs such as Structure Therapeutics and Viking Therapeutics are making progress with oral GLP-1 candidates aleniglipron and VK2735, respectively—both showing promising placebo-adjusted weight reductions in recent clinical trials. These companies plan additional presentations during ADA 2026.
Amgen continues development of MariTide but will not present new data at this year’s meeting. Amgen Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton said via email, “We see the future of care as increasingly connected across obesity and cardiovascular disease as these conditions commonly coexist and can lead to serious outcomes or death, even though they are treatable.”
